Somalia's 'deadliest attack ever' kills 276, injures 300

Somali soldiers patrol on the scene of the explosion of a truck bomb in the Somali capital Mogadishu, on October 15, 2017. PHOTO | AFP

At least 276 people have been killed and 300 injured by a massive truck bomb that tore through a busy shopping district of Mogadishu, the government said Monday, making it the "deadliest attack ever" to hit war-torn Somalia.

The figure was a huge jump from an initial police estimate of 20 dead in the hours after the deadly explosion ripped through the Somali capital on Saturday, causing scenes of carnage and widespread devastation.